Meet Our Office Staff & Team Of Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapists in Wasilla, AK

Rusty Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with a master’s in physical therapy from Boston University in 1999. He moved to Alaska directly after school and has worked since that time in outpatient orthopedics. Rusty has training in advanced manual therapy techniques through the Ola Grimsby Institute. He uses a variety of manual skills to take his patients out of pain and back to function. He spends his time off hunting and fishing all over the great state of Alaska.

Heather D. Wengler, PT, DPT, MPT, CCI, graduated from the University of Nebraska Medical Center with her Master of Physical Therapy in 2002 and went on to finish her Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2005. In 2005, she became a credentialed clinical instructor with the American Physical Therapy Association. Current and past work experiences involve the evaluation, consultation, treatment planning, and education of patients with neurologic injuries including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, and progressive neurologic disorders. These work experiences have been across the treatment spectrum to include acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, intensive outpatient day program, and traditional outpatient physical therapy settings.

While working at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE, Dr. Wengler helped to establish a therapy-based Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program. Additionally she served as the Amputee Program Leader and was an advisor to Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to establish criteria for the initial development of the Amputee Specialty Accreditation.

She has worked with William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC), Ft. Bliss, TX to establish the physical therapy portion of the Traumatic Brain Injury Program and was the lead Physical Therapist for the Traumatic Brain Injury Team at WBAMC from 2009 to early 2012. She has additional training with manual therapy with orthopedic patients or neurologic patients with orthopedic concerns. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), APTA Neurology Section, Vestibular Special Interest Group, and the Alaska Physical Therapy Association. Specialties include vestibular rehabilitation, Bioness L300 certified fitter, video electronystagmography (VNG/ENG), and dynamic posturography.

In her spare time, she enjoys activities with her husband and two sons, reading mysteries, and watching football and following the Nebraska Huskers. She is hoping to start quilting more this winter.

Jacob Arvidson PT, DPT, was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He graduated with his doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida in 2005 and joined Alyeska Physical Therapy in 2006. The Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Saint Augustine has an excellent reputation for their emphasis on manual therapy. In his free time Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife and children as well as fishing, hunting, camping, and woodworking.

Pamela Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with her master’s degree in physical therapy in 1999 from Boston University. She primarily focuses on patients with central neurological disorders and enjoys working with all ages of clients, newborn to geriatric. Pam enjoys taking a functional approach with each patient and strives to maximize their independence. She loves the variety in her job and her ability to make life-changing improvements in each of her patients’ lives.

Pam grew up in Fairbanks and spends her free time with her family and friends enjoying Alaska’s culture and vast outdoors. She is passionate about dance and is the director for the company EnLiven based out of Sonja’s Studio of Dance in Wasilla.

Bio Coming Soon!

Stephanie McCoy, PTA, has over 20 years of experience in physical therapy. She graduated from Colby Community College in Kansas in 1989. Stephanie has worked in a variety of settings including: outpatient orthopedics, early intervention, inpatient rehabilitation, home health, cardiac rehabilitation, and outpatient pediatrics. She loves working with young children and their families. Stephanie is an avid sports fan and enjoys biking and quilting.

Kim Prayner, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A/SLP, has over 20 years of experience in the communication disorders field. Kim is a licensed and certified Audiologist after initially receiving her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of North Carolina in 1994; she received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014. Kim earned her Doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2003. She is passionate about working with pediatric patients and finding ways to maximize their communication skills. Kim has worked in the hospital, private practice, school, acute care, and hearing aid manufacturing settings. She has a vast array of experience working with children who have apraxia, autism, cleft palate, cognitive disabilities, dysfluency/stuttering, hearing loss, non-verbal language, social skills deficits, and speech/language deficits. Kim is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)’s Special Interest Group 1: Language, Learning, and Education and a member of ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kim lived in Fairbanks for over 10 years before moving to Wasilla. She spends her free time with her family, kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors.